After two rather sluggish semifinals, the right guys have emerged to the Sunday Rome Masters final: It’s Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal, episode 30! More on the rivalry in a bit, but first a quick recap of today’s play.

Nadal did what he normally does to Tomas Berdych, and that is get the big fellow moving. It got tighter in the second but Nadal was really without duress in a 6-2, 6-4 victory. After two 3-setters against Ernests Gulbis and David Ferrer, it must have been nice for Nadal to get a quick win over a dangerous bird like Berdych. And he’s in his eighth final in eight events this year. Simply amazing.

“Eight finals in a row is wonderful,” said Nadal. “Four to five months ago it was impossible to think about this. I hope to play very well. Any result will be fantastic.”

In the second semi, Federer overcame a break to the bad in the first set to put away the quirky Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6, 6-4. Roger wasn’t anywhere near his sharpest on the day, but he did just enough for a win that puts him into his first ATP final of the season. But he’ll have to play much better to stay with Nadal tomorrow if he’s going to walk away with the trophy.

Roger Federer v. Rafael Nadal
It’s not their first meeting of the year. The two greats locked up in a one-sided affair at Indian Wells won easily by Nadal. Roger was really struggling with his back in that one, and thus far this week, despite an extra shirt to keep him (the back?) warm, he’s showed no hints of any ailments. Then again, neither has Nadal who’s knees are always a concern.

So with both guys healthy and in good spirits, at least it should be a better match than their last meeting – not saying much!

Nadal of course leads big in this rivalry 19-10. And most importantly in this situation is he’s 12-2 against Roger on the clay. Surprisingly, though, Federer still plays him tough on this surface. The last time they played on dirt was at the 2011 French Open, and Federer played three very good sets before losing in four.

That same year Roger got a set from Rafa in Madrid. And before that they split two previous clay meetings also in Madrid in 2010 and 2009.

So I think it will be close yet again.

And Roger has been offering up his best tennis since the Australian Open this week. Aided by a friendly draw, Federer blasted through Potito Starache then Gilles Simon before facing some resistance from future Top 5-er Jerzy Janowicz. Though today was by far his worst performance on the week – many errors, plenty of shanks. And cause for some concern.

That said, maybe because of the slowness, the clay gives Federer that extra time to plot and prod his opponents. So as he gets older perhaps he’ll have his best results on the dirt? It’s softer on the body, allows him to get to more balls and strategy, nerves and fitness play a greater role than on hardcourts, I think.

As for Nadal, we know what surface he prefers, and his loves Rome. Nadal is 40-2 in his career winning six titles at the Foro Italico. Since returning to tennis in February the guy has reached the finals of all eight tournaments he’s played, winning five. Would anyone have dreamed such a run? No way. Not even when he was at his peak.

But despite the lofty results Nadal is not at his best right now. We all know it. He got pushed around by Gulbis the other day and Ferrer, at 31, seems to be on the brink of that elusive clay win – David should have won last week! So I do detect some vulnerability in Rafa’s game. It’s not as lethal and airtight as it was 2-3 years ago when he was virtually unplayable on the surface. Rafa’s winning again, but not in the same dominating fashion. The backhand isn’t quite as sound and his court positioning seems awry.

Therefore, I think Roger has a shot here, albeit a slim one. While he can’t muster the Gulbis power, he can and likely will be on the offensive right from the start. He has to be. And if he’s connecting and forcing Rafa deeper in the court I think he can win.

As usual, Roger will have to serve good and keep the error count low. Nadal will be whipping that forehand again, but it’s his backhand that has been a burden of late. If that wing continues to falter and Roger’s attacking it then picking off the replies at the net, then look out.

“It almost doesn’t matter what the surface or what the conditions are. I’ve got to play aggressive tennis and take it to Rafa,” assessed Federer. “I know he doesn’t give me much on clay. He’s got incredible spin.

“He is the best mover on clay of all-time, if not Top 2 with Bjorn Borg, so it’s hard to play against him. But I’ve done it before and can put him under pressure,” Federer added. “I hope this time I have a better chance than at Indian Wells, where things were a bit difficult for me. He’s had an incredible comeback, so I’m really happy for him. But someone has got to stop him, so I hope it’s me.”

And what’s a little worrisome is Rafa just played his worst match of the tournament, Nadal maybe his best.

Still, Roger’s a champion and playing against Rafa he’ll bring his best stuff. Unfortunately at 31 his best just won’t be enough against the King of Clay on his surface of choice. Let’s enjoy think rivalry while we still can.The pick: Nadal in two

Tennis Channel has live coverage of the men’s Rome final starting at 10am ET. The women’s clash between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka is at 7:30am ET.

198 Comments for Federer, Nadal Meet Again In The Rome Final, Who’s The Pick?

Steve 27 Says:

I know the answer but I Keep it, after all, like Calderon de la Barca said:

What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough: for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams.
Variant:
What is this life? A frenzy, an illusion,
A shadow, a delirium, a fiction.
The greatest good’s but little, and this life
Is but a dream, and dreams are only dreams.

Who would have thought after fed having a “better” draw, and avoiding nadal in the QFs or SFs…we all thought he would play Murray! The twist now, being that the legends of the game are to face each other in the final.

Come on Roger! You got to the final, do your best against the best ever on clay and we fed fans can be happy.

In every RG final from 2005 (Puerta) to 2009, when he wasn’t in it, Roger was Rafa’s opponent. I mean, he can’t play air. Roger was considered the #2 active claycourt player in the world at the time, in a world that included other standouts like Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Carlos Ferrero. (I think David Ferrer has gotten even better since then, but I’m not sure that’s here or there for the purposes of this discussion.)

Rafa says in his post-match final that it’s an honor for him to play against “the best of the history”. I’m convinced both gentlemen came to play, and am looking forward to a competitive match.

Although the Rafa fandom trys to hype this match up, facts are facts. Rog is 31. On top of all this, it is Rafa’s favorite surface by far, and Fed, although great on Clay, has a pale record against Rafa on it. Rafa has 11 Slams on the dirt mud! C’mon!

With Rafa’s H2H record against Fed on Clay, why wouldn’t a Rafa fan say there yearning for this matchup , anyday on Clay. Don’t care too much about the outcome here, cause if Fed was ever gonna win a title against Rafa on Clay, it would be the most poetic at FO. Just think now he is too old ( age is not an excuse, just a fact ) to do it. Unless of course he can do it in straight sets…….now that would be a friggin miracle! Do hope it is an entertaining match for us fans.

Fedal matchups are attracting. Sampras/Agassi and Mac/Borg drew a great audience due to the contrast in styles. Hope after Fedals are gone we get something like it again. They’re great theater.

Suresh i agree in that Nole will still be a big threat at RG no doubt about that,however because he failed to make the final doesnt make this final any the less important,its important to Rafa and Rogers fans,Novak will bounce back hes an amazing player,but tennis still goes on regardless with or without Nole in a final,tennis is not just about one player be it Nole/Rafa/Roger whomever.

“Before Federer and Nadal play these days, we’re always told that we should enjoy it, that we won’t see too many more matches between them. Federer is over 30, Nadal’s knees are deteriorating, the sky is falling, and tennis will soon be dying. But this is already the second time they’ve faced each other in last two months, and in their current form there’s no reason they won’t do it a few more times in 2013 alone. When it comes to Nadal and Federer, we’re always talking about the coming decline. But it’s a decline that never seems to come for either of them. Now they’re back in the final in Rome, seven years after their first one.”

I guess the “young ones” decided to let Fedal have another last, last hurray, they have more important things to do……

BTW, Nole will win calendar grand slam this year. He’s the only guy that can beat Rafa on clay. And he did it in Monte Carlo while injured! Didn’t drop a set against the best player on clay, 8 time defending champ, undefeated. The other surfaces he’s a lock in.

^ And in the unthinkable worst case scenario where he fails to win the French Open, he will clean up the remaining slams. Federer is his only challenger at Wimbledon, and if he wasn’t turning 32 in a few months he’d be a legitimate challenger, but Djokovic is still in his prime.

I can see a career with 15+ slams in his cabinet if he doesn’t get injured. And if he gets injured regularly, maybe 12+?

Djokovic, who lives in Monaco, lost to eight-time champion Rafa Nadal in last year’s final at the first big claycourt event of the season and sprained his ankle playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup last weekend.

He has practised for the last two days, but has not fully recovered.

“I can’t still 100% guarantee that I’ll be on the court on Wednesday,” the top-seeded Djokovic said today. “I’ll decide on Tuesday, at least to give time to another player just in case I don’t play.

“Strenghthening my ankle is still in the process. Things are looking good, better than I expected it to be.

“But I have to be realistic and cautious, and see on some practices in the next few days, when I push myself to the limits, if I’m going to have any discomfort. It’ll be an indication that I should not play.”

Twice runner-up to Nadal at the glamourous event by the Mediterranean, Djokovic said he would not take any risks.

“Let’s be honest, it’s a very strong tournament and I think there’s no room for any compromise,” he said.

“It’s a new surface, a new start of the season and in order to compete on such a high level, I need to be 100%, no question about it.”

Giles, if Rafa couldn’t beat a Novak with a bum ankle in his pet tournament where he is undefeated for 8 years, what are his chances at beating a 100% Novak in Paris? He almost got pushed to a 5th set (had there not been a rain delay I think it would have gone to a 5th), where I think he would have lost if it had gone to 5.

Rafa is the most accomplished player on clay, but right now, Nole is the most skillful player on all surfaces including clay. A few upsets notwithstanding, when the stakes are high (like a GS) he will beat guys people don’t expect him to beat (like Rafa).

When the stakes are low (ATP1000 series) he doesn’t try as hard.

I’d like to remind you all of AO 2012 where he had to win a 5 set semi final to make the final and had only 1 day of rest, while Rafa had an easy semi and 2 days of rest. Then the final ended up being the longest AO final ever, and when it got to 5 sets, you’d think Nole would be spent right? Rafa had an easier path in and more rest. But who got tired first? Rafa. And this is a guy you don’t normally see get tired. Nole on the other hand, used to be.

You could break the guy’s leg and make him have to play a best of 7 while you pick any challenger to play a best of 5 against him (Nole must win 4 sets to win, opponent only needs to win 3), and my money would still be on Nole.

Pick any player on any surface. I’m willing to take you on. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen. It’s just sad for him that he didn’t really bloom until 23 ish. Had he gotten as good as he is now at say 20, he might finish his career with 20+ slams.

It is quite difficult not to pick Rafa in a clay final after what he has done there. It seems good that Roger has made his first tournament final of the year and unfortunately he has run into Nadal against whom he doesn’t enjoy a good match-up especially on Clay. That being said, I still think Roger will have a slim chance in this match if he serves pretty well and Nadal’s level slightly dithers which is possible considering that he always produces his best Tennis whenever he meets Roger. May be this time it would be different and Rafa would have a let down. We never know. If that happens, then Roger will have his chance. If it doesn’t then we have to go with the Sean pick and ie. Rafa in two with one tight set.

More on this match. There is no pressure on Roger in this match to win since he is the underdog here despite being seeded above Nadal. Rafa is the undisputed king of Clay and he is always expected to win and so the pressure will only be on Nadal. But he has handled such pressures very well before and I do not expect him to succumb to it. Roger can hope for a decent match if he plays his best Tennis.

“You make it sound like Djkovic is soooo good on every surface…How come Federer and Nadal have Dominated the Slams for most of his career’s?”

I already answered that. He didn’t bloom until he was around 23. He had fitness issues and asthma.

When he overcame that, the glory days Nadal and Federer enjoyed were starting to close. This season will define the future for them both. If these guys don’t take at least one slam this season, they are done. It’s going to be all Djokovic from here.

“And to be honest,the only thing that allowed him to get those US and Wimby titles is the decline of Roger. Rafa’s maybe also not his best anymore , so who knows?”

It looks like a decline, but only because of Nole’s rise. Fed proved last year he was still good enough to contend for the big titles. Nole last year was down 2 sets and faced 2 championship points in set 5 against Roger at the USO. He saved one of those with a gutsy go for broke return of serve down the line. He ended up winning that, and then taking the title. It takes a lot of heart to do what he did, and that wasn’t the first time he’s given Roger a 5 set heartbreak.

“Like last year? :)”

He’s a better player than he was last year. He beat Nadal in Monte Carlo. The first player to have ever done that. He’s the only player who has beaten Nadal in all 3 clay masters series. He will win the French and then ride the momentum for the rest of the year.

Last year he lost to Fed at Wimbledon. But Fed is now a year older, and after 30 every year makes a bigger difference than it does after 20.

“If Nole could not get through the earlier rounds against lower ranked players when he is at his best, what are his chances of getting to meet Rafa in semis or finals (let alone beat him) ?”

I already explained this. Smaller tournaments he doesn’t care as much. When there’s something big on the line (like a French Open) he will bring his A game. Who was the guy who beat him in Madrid again? And Rome? I don’t even remember. To me they are nobodies. But would you be willing to bet your house that either of these two guys can beat him in Paris?

“Its not that he couldn’t get through the early rounds, he wasn’t trying! :))”

Someone who can beat the best player on clay on his favorite surface loses to someone I’ve never heard of. I guess you’re going to say this someone I’ve never heard of is a better clay court player than Rafa?

He didn’t care enough. How else would you explain it?

And then there’s best of 5 vs best of 3. If it were best of 5, he’d have a chance to still come back and win, which I think he will.

“WTF, Are you following tennis only from 2011 ?”

No one denies what Federer and Pete have done. But they didn’t play against a post 2011 Novak. Sure, Nole was around before 2011, but he wasn’t anywhere near as good. He hadn’t reached his prime yet. So Federer & Rafa took the spoils while they were still on the table and easy to take.

Federer needs to adopt similar strategy against Rafa that is employed by Rafa against Fed…. Keep the ball on his backhand and keep it flat enough so that Rafa does not get time to run around it… Just occasionally surprise Rafa on his forehand … It is easier said than done but Rafa’s backhand lately has been fragile and leaking more UEs than usual… Plus backhand of Rafa does not hurt much… He rarely hits backhand winners these days…. Fed should be hitting practice courts today to master backhand DTLs and forehand cross courts…. He needs them to be accurate today…. He also needs to take the backhand early if he wants to go CC cuz that will create more angle and give less time for Rafa to retrieve on FH side.

@Alison: Nice post!You are getting wiser every day..( little tease but I also mean it)
@WTF: I’m big Novaks fan, and as much I would love to agree with you with Novaks chances at RG
I don’t think it would be that easy. Can Novak beats Rafa in RG? Off course he can but so does Rafa can beat Novak.And Novak had so many ‘off’ days in last 2 month- that shows not to be very consistent. Lets see whats happen, don’t no jump to soon…

^ Funny that people are giving tennis advice to a 17 time grand slam winner with 15+ years of experience.

He’s played Rafa enough times to know what to do and what not to do. You think he hasn’t figured out all these things? He knows how to beat Rafa better than you do. The problem is the execution. As you said, easier said than done.

I would be extremely shocked if your advice of hitting forehands to Rafa’s backhand was new to him, and something he’d never thought of.

“@WTF: I’m big Novaks fan, and as much I would love to agree with you with Novaks chances at RG
I don’t think it would be that easy. Can Novak beats Rafa in RG?”

I’m not sure I would call it ‘easy’ myself. But if it comes down to heart, courage, and the mental factor, there is no one in the game that will outdo Nole in mental toughness. He is the strongest out there, and I used to give that mantle to Rafa.

If it comes down to a physically gruelling contest, again there is no player I would say can outlast Novak Djokovic physically. Again, I used to give this mantle to Rafa. Nole on the other hand I used to rank pretty low in the endurance and stamina meter. But he did something in the off season of 2010 that completely changed everything. I don’t know what it was (gluten free diet or whatever) but it was a game changer.

Rafa I think is the only guy standing in the way of him taking the calendar slam. I don’t think Fed can stop him at Wimbledon anymore, and Murray’s win over him at the USO was not a sign of the changing of the guard, because at the AO this year he got his revenge rather convincingly. It seems more of a one off than anything.

“Funny that people are giving tennis advice to a 17 time grand slam winner with 15+ years of experience”

Its really funny cuz u think Fed is glued to his laptop and pressing the “Refresh” button after every 5 seconds with tennis x site opened dying to receive any “advice” on how to beat Rafa. Nobody of us can give advice to the players and I was just expressing my thoughts on how he can make it tough for Rafa and I think every poster is entitled to do that… My emphasize on this strategy was for two reasons:

1) Rafa’s backhand recently has been more fragile than it usually has been throughout their meetings.

2) Fed has been relying on his own game in past and believing in his natural game to defeat his opponents… Nobody can blame him for that cuz he has been very successful at that but there are times when he needs to adopt a specific strategy for a specific player and make a conscious effort to follow a certain game plan … Hope he does that today against Rafa…

“So if he reached his so called
”prime” how come he only won 1 slam last year?”

Two guys stepped it up for a game and beat him on the day. No one said he’d be immune to upsets. But losing to Fed at Wimby and Murray at USO were by no means continuing trends.

Losing to Nadal was not an upset. It was a 50/50.

Last year the 4 majors were split evenly among the top 4 players. But who had the best season overall?

I do not think this year’s majors will be split one apiece. Nadal is still good but not as good as he once was, and when the clay season is over, he’s going to have a hard time getting into and staying in the top 4. Federer is the wrong side of 30. Murray has yet to prove any consistency.

If anyone’s going to challenge him it will probably be Del Po.

“So your saying Fed is not declining, it only looks like it cause Novak has reached his prime?

That’s the most ridiculous thing Ive ever heard.”

I didn’t say he wasn’t declining at all. I already acknowledged that being past 30, the best years were behind him. What I’m saying is that his ‘decline’ was made to look a lot worse than it really was by Nole. It’s no different from people criticizing the ATP tour for having no legitimate challengers 2004+ when Federer was winning everything. The reason his competition seemed weak is because Fed himself was so strong. Players like Hewitt, Roddick, and Safin (who were his challengers until Nadal) were by no means weak players. In a different era they would have won more silverware. Federer just made them look weak, just as Nole is making Federer look weak.

“First you say hes unbeatable and Feds decline is non-existent, its cause Novak is the best and on and on…Then you basically admit Federer needs to be 32 for Novak to have a chance in his prime!”

Nah. YOu’re reading comprehension just sucks. Novak had a ‘chance’ last year. That was not a one sided match by any means. I never used the words ‘non-existent’. Novak is the best. Federer last season was still ‘good enough’ to win, but that was a year ago. He’s not ‘good enough’ anymore.

I never said Fed hadn’t declined *at all*. What I said is that he was still good enough to contend for GS titles. He was only made to look pedestrian because Nole raised the bar. Was he as good as he was in 04-07? Of course not.

“I’m struggling with your logic cause if Fed Needs to be Super Old for Novak to win, how can he be the best you have ever seen?”

Is your IQ below 80? Who said Fed had to be super old for Novak to win? Just look at their records even before he got super old. Well you haven’t defined what super old means, but Fed’s record against Nole has not been good, as of the last 3 years or so.

In 2008 Nole beat him at the AO and won the title. Fed would have been 26. So who said he needed to be super old for Nole to beat him?

Why do you put words in my mouth?

“Its really funny cuz u think Fed is glued to his laptop and pressing the “Refresh” button after every 5 seconds with tennis x site opened dying to receive any “advice” on how to beat Rafa. Nobody of us can give advice to the players and I was just expressing my thoughts on how he can make it tough for Rafa and I think every poster is entitled to do that… My emphasize on this strategy was for two reasons:”

Then doing so is worthless. Telling us how Fed can beat him does nothing, because we aren’t playing, and Fed isn’t reading. It still feels dumb even if that wasn’t your intention, because the truth is, even if Fed loses, he knows more about how to beat Rafa than your analysis. Nothing you said is anything nobody already knew, including us. This kind of analysis is just unnecessary after 30 odd Fedal finals.

“2) Fed has been relying on his own game in past and believing in his natural game to defeat his opponents… Nobody can blame him for that cuz he has been very successful at that but there are times when he needs to adopt a specific strategy for a specific player and make a conscious effort to follow a certain game plan … Hope he does that today against Rafa…”

Strategically he’s always known what to do. He doesn’t need someone giving him pointers. When he loses it’s because he’s been beaten by someone who’s just too good on the day (knowing how to win doesn’t help if you can’t do anything and the other guy isn’t missing any shots), or he’s unable to execute his game plan because it’s difficult (can’t get a high first serve percentage, forehand misfiring, etc).

If he fails to beat Rafa on clay, it’s not because strategically he doesn’t know how to approach the match. If all you needed to do is know how to approach the match, Rafa wouldn’t have such extraordinary records on the red stuff. The reason he hasn’t been beating him is because.. it’s *hard* to do. Nole can do it because he’s faster and more energetic than Fed. He can retrieve every ball until Rafa gets frustrated and starts going closer to the lines and missing (and even attempting to throw him off by moonballing). Fed doesn’t have that and finds himself trying to play offense instead and then being grinded down, being beaten the way Rafa was beaten by Nole in 2011.

Joker lost early in IW, joker lost early in Miami, joker lost early in Madrid and joker lost early in Rome. And here we have @WTF singing his praises. Oops sorry forgot, ankle injury! WTF???
#Inconsistent
#JokerWillNotRepeat2011

Forehand Says:
The lengevity of oldies like Federer, Ferrer, Haas, etc show that the tennis shelf life is getting extended and this means that Nole and Rafa will have many more years to pile up their own records.

May 18th, 2013 at 10:58 pm

Forehand,

No, no, no.

Federer is unique. A gift from the gods to tennis. He is a one-off. No one like federer before tennis or after – you cannot put the others into the same category, the same that you cannot put any clay court player into the same category as rafa. Rafa is unique on clay. But Roger, he is something else altogether.

Really looking forward to the match. Know the outcome, but hey. Who knows?

Look I don’t have time to post painfully lengthy posts like you do… So I will keep it short and precise… Never ever try to tellother posters what to do and what not to do… Just mind your own business and ignore the post which you think says something which you already know and only speak for yourself not on every other poster’s behalf… Who are u to establish that everyone knows what I am saying?..Judging by your responses to my posts, I think you either did not read my post carefully or too dumb to understand what I was pointing at…. Trying to explain it again to you would be a useless exercise and would just like be banging the head against the wall… So I will refrain from it.. Don’t bother replying cuz this discussion will go nowhere..

madmax how can u be so optimistic…does it not frustrate you to see him lose again and agan and again..wats the point for an emperor like federer to keep losing these days and so badly to some players….its better that he retires rather than be a loser….i know it sounds harsh but no point in playing like this!!!

the problem is that clay beast will keep defending indefinitely and federer has to keep playing super high risk tennis to have a chance!!! that why it boils down to some supreme super human effort…the advantage with djoker is that he can defend very well plus a doublehanded backhand which is why he has had better success against rafa…and already a break point and a break!!! good so first set is over!!!!

Break! Strangelly Fed is hitting some deep balls center court insteado of goigm for crosscourt FH. He has several forehnads and is applying this tactics. When Nadal served 30-30 he was hitting FH after a good retunr and even though missed.

same old bring story…i think fed fans should stop pretending and stop beng delusional…time for us to endure this misery till he retires…better retire and put an end to this agony…atleast then there would be no false hope that we keep having now

green 900 i predict 6-1 6-0 atleast only when fed gets humiliated he will realise where he stands…and all those who justify fed’s performance on age its BS…doesnt matter…if you are competing then stop using that excuse and if you think thats a valid excuse then stop competing….no one is going to put any asterisk on any loss or win at any age…what matters is only the result at the end of the day!!! disgusting and frustrating…roger please retire and save us!!!

It’s ugly because Fed is making too many mistakes. See tis last two points, awful. He is just missing everything.
Nala only made 2 UE and again 100% winning on second serves. Same as yesterday. What the hell is this stat?! Since when his second serve is unbeatbale.

What is worrying is if Fed will ever be able to be competitive against Nadal again?! Hope on grass or fast courts, because after this IW and Rome beatdowns it doesn’t look promisimg but htis are Nadal’s best surfaces. Will see.

Fed started so good and then can’t put the ball in play. Thinking he has decided to go super agressive, either goes in or out

a breadstick and bagel…and after than federer will say in his interview..” I got to be optimistic…i atleaast made the final (no matter if it was a cupcake draw)…ti am going to hit the practice courts immediately and more motivated to win…with everyloss my motivation increases… i hope to do well in RG.. blah blah blah blah… “

I am a Federer huge fan, but i think Federer best days are over now. I would just like as a tennis fan, that a new player could enter the arena. There are some promises, but no one near the potencial of top-4…

This was clinical, focused, hungry, sharp display from the man they call the King of Clay.

A true masterclass.

Bjorn Borg recently called Rafa a artist on Clay and today Rafa truly painted a picture of excellence on this surface.

Rafa fans and non- Rafa fans should appreciate the guy’s genius on this surface as likely we will not such undeniable mastery of a surface in a long, long while when the great man one day decide’s to call it time on his career.

As far as RG is concerned:

It was immensely pleasing to see Rafa go through to 2 physical challenge’s in consecutive day’s and then follow it up with his 2 best performance since he has return.

Put simply:

Rafa just need’s to keep doing what is at the moment, carry on in this vein, and the rest will take care of itself at RG.

Brando nice set of posts there,very fair and honest assessments,i must say this sounds much more like you,no offence but you didnt really sound like your usual self the other day,taking pot shots at other posters is not your usual style,your usually fair and objective and agree to disagree,all the while respecting others who do the same,sorry just saying,ill leave it at that.

Courbon thanks,lol reading your post to me this morning calling me a little tease,like that one:-P,I i dont know about little tease,but headcase,nutcase,or airhead sounds more approriate lol,however ive said it before and ill say it again,that the pound for pounders(Mat4s nickname for the Nole fans)are some of the best fans on this forum.

@Brando
But how long will this desire for the “hottest ticket” in town last? Federer was booed during that match. Now I don’t agree with doing that, I think it’s disrespectful to a great champion, but it IS a clear indication that what fans want is a competitive final. On clay that’s never going to happen to Fedal.

Giles exactly Rafa lost to Soderling at the FO in 2009,however the following year,he more than made up for that defeat by beating the same player in the final,so i hardly think Rafa looses much sleep about that loss,and has won the title 3 times since that defeat.